Friday, December 11, 2015

Bengies Top 10. An Annual Tradition. For me, dating back to 2001 (see: lists), with single lists each year - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Now for 2015.

First, the top "exceptions" to the year's list are movies that were filmed in previous years, and when shown on the giant outdoor screen are a fine an experience as I can have. With the season ending with Mel Brook's classic Young Frankenstein, these are ultimate events!

Young Frankenstein

Raiders of the Lost Ark

E.T.

Another exception was the Fourth Annual Bengies Drive-In Boy Scout Camp in, in September. These all were crowd favorites:

Minions

Pixels

Jurassic World

I was hoping for Inside Out, which didn't make the cut, though I did catch it on two other weekends.

In order, the remaining 10 top features:

Inside Out

The Martian

The Imitation Game

Shaun The Sheep

Spectre

The Peanuts Movie

Mission Impossible 5

Mad Max: Fury Road

Spongebob

Tomorrowland

Insurgent

Man From UNCLE

I had to put in a couple that were close to the top ten, despite having all great picks in other years, there just didn't seem to be much more to choose from. I definitely was disappointed in the Man From U.N.C.L.E., partly because it wasn't a series that demanded resurfacing. Similar failures might include I Spy, Get Smart, or even The Avengers (the 1998 try, of course, not the unrelated Marvel fantasies). Mission Impossible is the exception to that rule. Maybe not my favorite ongoing spy/thriller series. Lots of competition in that genre for sure.

Pixar still has it going. I would not call Inside Out my favorite (hard to top WALL-E, Up, et al). Such a cast is par for the course. Mad Max - up there due to the Creative Alliance Marquee Ball (Baltimore icon).

Insurgent and Tomorrowland are low; others would think of them more highly. The Peanuts movie surprise me. It could easily have been very bad.

The late season showing of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. as a single Sunday early evening show was stupendous, not least because the weather cooperated.